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Louder Esparagus

ESP32 based streaming media center capable of driving full-size speakers

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$69.00
andrey-malyshenko has 1073 orders / 33reviews
Ships from Poland
Alongside with Loud Esparagus this device is designed to be an entry point to a modern streaming services at the low cost. It runs Spotify-Connect, Apple Air play, Logitech Media Server as well as acts as Bluetooth speaker.
Compared to the Loud Esparagus it packs a punch, driving 2 channels of 25 Watts each, which is more appropriate for full-size speaker systems.
It can use external power source, as well as USB-PD enabled power supply via standard USB-C connector.
It has onboad ethernet controller for those who cannot trust Wifi to deliver uninterrupted fun.
As every other Esparagus device it is open-sourced and open-hardwared, so you can develop your own use for this little box or adopt existing ESP32 software to it.

After completing the Loud-ESP project, I decided to focus my work on a more powerful and more purpose focused Louder-ESP board that is built around TAS5805M I2S DAC. It is capable of driving 2-channel 25W speakers, so clearly it has much tougher requirements in terms of power needs. Batteries of this size and current capabilities are plain dangerous, so this version of the board is not portable. Based on the early adopters' feedback I've added USB-C power delivery, so a compatible power adapter is not a problem anymore. I also added Ethernet -over-SPI for the people having not-so-perfect wireless, much like SONOS and similar speaker systems would always provide both connectivity options. 

Board is tailored for squeezelite-esp32 software, and Project Team specifically allowed me to use their software in my products (this is reflected in their license). So it will run LMS, Spotify connect, Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth out of the box.

Most noticeably for finished and refined product feel latest board is hosted in the aluminum project box. It looks sublime and would be welcome in any place of residence or work alike.
Altogether Esparagus series of boards provide a range of products with the same look and feel, but tailored for different use cases. One is line level output (to be used with existing stereo systems). Another for a smaller setup (same MAX98357 DAC that was used in Loud-ESP). And finally top of the range model using Louder-ESP hardware.

2312-louder-esp-f-pcb.pdf

Adobe Portable Document Format - 1.02 MB - 01/15/2024 at 16:12

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2312-louder-esp-f-schematic.pdf

Adobe Portable Document Format - 251.79 kB - 01/15/2024 at 16:12

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  • NOPD variant is available

    andriy.malyshenko11/20/2024 at 09:43 0 comments

    Small update on the Louder Esparagus and Louder Raspberry media centers. Now available in the NOPD variant, which is essentially a possibility to power the device from a dumb old power adapter, instead of a USB-PD enabled power source (and squeeze a little more power out of the TAS5805M DAC). Otherwise, boards have the same performance and software support.

  • Crowd Supply campaign is in pre-launch

    andriy.malyshenko02/15/2024 at 11:42 0 comments

    Hey everyone.
    I passed the formalities necessary to actually start a Crowd Supply campaign to support production of the Esparagus series boards. 

    If you're a hobbyist maker it is actually very hard to produce these small projects in small volumes, because of fundamental costs of initial development. When you know in advance what kind of volumes you should expect to produce, it is much easier to build up an adequate price for the unit. 

    Public campaigns also help to understand if a product is finally ready for a launch, as adding improvements and new features is a never-ending effort. At some point you have to say "Although it's not perfect, it's sufficiently near".

    I invite everyone interested to subscribe to campaign updates, as in coming weeks I will need to work hard to finalize the design and prepare for the production run, which will strongly depend on the community interest.

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